I’ve been excited about Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand ever since I saw the first screenshots. Now it’s here, and the final game is living up to my expectations.

The infamous sun sensor is incorporated into gameplay so creatively that the restrictions it adds to the game don’t even bother me. Yes, you can still play at night, but undoubtedly you’ll get to a certain point and have to save and wait for the sun to come out, because certain puzzles and enemies do require direct sunlight. Usually though, you can get by without having to worry about it, as long as you have saved up some solar power and have plenty of items with you. In addition to powering your solar gun, the sun also determines what time it is within the game. The enemies and traps will be different depending on when you play. And you don’t even have to play outside; a good window will do, though you’re not going to get very good results unless you raise the blinds and open up to the world outside. Clouds are an obstacle you can’t do much about.

Boktai’s gameplay had to convey the message: “So you can’t play me all the time. I’m going to be so much fun that you’ll want to play me whenever you can.” So far, I’m getting the message. This is a clever adventure game with tight controls and great graphics. There are lots of dungeons and lots of enemies. In many cases, it’s more trouble than it’s worth to kill all the enemies…you can run out of life pretty quickly. The simplified Metal Gear Solid mechanics work great, and using them at least some of the time becomes a necessity.

If you’re a fan of the MGS series, Boktai will feel very comfortable. But if, like me, you don’t usually go for stealth games, there’s enough other stuff going on here to keep you interested too. The sci-fi setting and pastel art style are perfect, and there looks to be a ton of different parts you can use to customize your solar gun. The game is quite a challenge even in the early goings with the normal difficulty level.

I’ll report back soon with a nice tan and a full review of Boktai. I think it’s safe to say that adventure and stealth-action fans will go nuts over it.